White Wine in the Sun surprised me because I don't know Tim Minchin, so when this started I went, "ok, it's an ironic comedy song." Then he gets to the part about his family and it's such a smooth transition because he sounds just as sincere. He's not being ironic. He points out the flaws and inconsistencies in Christmas but that's okay because the good qualities are what life is all about.
Christmas Stays the Same: Linda Eder is as known to me as Tim Minchin, but the song goes down like a smooth, instant classic. My mother had Barbra Striesand's Christmas Album in constant location and this sounds like a track that somehow got left out of my mom's copy. So this also makes me think of my mom, which is not a bad thing for Christmas time.
All I Ever Get For Christmas is Blue: Cheerful, Sam. Some of the lyrics are playful - "It would take a miracle to get me out to a shopping mall." - but this song feels like the last sip of wine for the evening and as I'm listening, I'm balancing the glass tilted between the table and my finger. A song for reflecting and making plans to do better next time.
Carol of the Bells remains my favorite Christmas song ever. It's The Aristocrats of Christmas, open to so many interpretations, from the beautiful to the scary. I listen to them all, including the original Ukrainian folk chant "Shchedryk". This has a bit of both, and has me interested in listening to the complete CD.
The Christmas Can Can: When I discovered "The Restroom Door Said Gentlemen", I thought I had found the definitive comedy Christmas song. (FYI, "Grandma Got Run Over..." isn't funny enough to be an annual play.) This was superb.
And I know One Little Christmas Tree, a great lesser-known tune.